I suspected that “sand them roads” would reference melting of the ice and snow on the roads of West Virginia and Virginia, not the fairways of Dormie. The Pinehurst area had enjoyed temperatures in the 60s for a few weeks, including a nice 65 on Friday, the day we left western New York. After stopping overnight in Mount Airy, N.C., we drove in to West End, accompanied by flakes that turned into flurries, into accumulation. If you need to compare conditions on the first tee with conditions halfway through the round, here’s a glimpse…
First Tee
Beautiful sight, it was. Dormant grass that led to an starkly-separate green. A tightly-mowed fairway that seamlessly greeted the putting surface through undulations, mounding and a pass through center-line bunkers. We are hardy and hearty, after all, and have played in much worse. Problem was, when we played in “much worse,” we anticipated it. What followed was unexpected…
Ninth Tee
Thanks to the attention and assistance of Kenny K, earnest caddie to two of our foursome, we maneuvered our way around most of the course (even the H and H brigade had to skip a few holes, due to loss of sensation in the hands.) What was most startling about Dormie was the preservation of its inherent characteristics despite the blanket of snow. Balls that benefited from a carom or a bounce still played that way. Greens that seduced approach shots deep into their surface, only to repel them away down a slope, behaved that mischievously.
Dormie is a marvelous golf course whose completeness will be revealed on my next tour (hopefully a green one.) for now, I’ve got the memory of a ludicrous day of camaraderie, assistance, extreme weather and the occasionaly-appropriate shot (both from my clubs and from the camera.)
Appropriate Shot
